Get Your End-of-Year Treatment to Kick Allergies, Asthma, and Sinus Problems to the Curb

At the end of the year, many people have met their deductible and insurance covers all or most of the cost of allergy serum for shots. Now is the time to take control of your allergies while your deductible is met and before the spring allergy season.

Most insurance plans require you to pay a monthly premium and a deductible before your insurance activates for the year. For example, if you have a $500 deductible, you are responsible for paying the first $500 of your treatments each year. By the end of the year, most patients have way more coverage than they did at the beginning of the year.

To make matters worse, most insurance plans expire at the beginning of the new year and do not roll over into the next. For this reason, delaying your treatment increases the possibility of insurance fees rising. The end of the year also happens to be the time when many patients start to feel those dreaded allergy-related issues, and many of these symptoms resemble COVID-19. Some of the most common winter allergy symptoms include:

• Sneezing
• Runny or stuffy nose/nasal congestion
• Sore throat
• Shortness of breath
• Coughing
• Postnasal drip
• Itchy eyes, nose, and throat

What Triggers Allergies in the Winter?

Even the cleanest homes are ridden with allergy-causing substances. The year 2020 has been especially difficult for those with household allergies because of the extra time we are all spending in the home. Common household allergies are molds, dust mites, animal dander, and cockroach droppings. For residents of Atlanta, allergens like dust mites are pesky little creatures year-round! Dust mites thrive in humidity, and Georgia happens to be situated right between the Gulf and the Atlantic, which brings in a lot of moisture.

While most residents and visitors love our climate and our glorious leaf changes, Atlanta weather has some drawbacks for our allergy-prone friends. The good news is that if you live in Atlanta, relief is literally right around the corner. There is no better time than the end of the year to seek necessary allergy treatments! At Center for Allergy & Asthma of Georgia, we will take the following measures to help identify the source of your allergies and treat its symptoms:

• Skin testing to discover which allergies are the issue
• Allergy shots (immunotherapy) or other necessary treatments to curb the symptoms and bring relief
• Follow-up visits to the allergist to help manage the condition in the future

Why You Need Your Allergy Shots at the End of the Year

Let CAA Develop a Plan to Get You Well and Keep You Well

Many people have stopped getting their allergy shots in the past year because of COVID-19. Now is the actually the ideal time to start them again for several reasons:

• Allergy shots can be 80-90% effective at reducing symptoms of allergies, including nasal allergies (hay fever), sinus infections, and asthma problems and medications.
• Allergies can be confused with COVID-19. Symptoms common to both include nasal congestion, sinus pressure, headaches, sore throat, cough and shortness of breath. Over the next six months, this will continue to be a concern for allergy patients until most people receive the COVID-19 vaccine.
• Many people have met their deductible by the end of the year, and insurance covers all or most of the cost of allergy serum for shots. Now is the time to take control of your allergies while your deductible is met and before the spring allergy season.

If you would like to restart your allergy shots, send us a message through the Patient Portal or call/text us at (770) 285-5200. You can also book online 24/7 from our website. We will ask you to make an in office or telemedicine appointment before starting allergy shots if you have not been seen in the past three months. For the latest COVID-19 office policies please visit our website. Face masks are mandatory for all patients and visitors two years of age and older entering our office.